History Main / AGodIAmNot

This is a character who is godlike, yet dislikes the comparison and firmly identifies themself as a mortal. They may be a godlike FlyingBrick a la Franchise/{{Superman}}, a RealityWarper like [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Doctor Manhattan]], a PhysicalGod like [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Tom Bombadil]], a SufficientlyAdvancedAlien like [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]], or someone who [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt somehow]] got the powers and duties of an actual god. The crux of their rationale is usually that they are still mortal, human, and terrestrial in enough ways that they don't want to make the claim. Maybe they still think in mortal terms about time and morality and aren't a TimeAbyss or AboveGoodAndEvil. Maybe they don't want the responsibility all that power entails. Maybe they worship a real god; proving they aren't one or don't want to disrespect them. Then again, it may just be the thought of being [[StopWorshippingMe actively worshipped]] that's squicky to them. Or in some cases, they're just a normal person who people have become convinced has godlike powers because of a weird confluence of events.

[[folder:Anime And Manga ]]

* Anthy from ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' is the Rose Bride: the [[spoiler: immortal or possibly undying]] holder of the all-powerful Sword of Dios. She just wants to be a normal girl and is generally depressed about being the Rose Bride. [[spoiler:In truth, her pain runs far deeper than that. And it's up to Utena to ''actually'' help her get free... and ultimately succeeds.]]
** Inverted by her [[AGodAmI power-mad]] [[spoiler: and also immortal or possibly undying]] brother Akio, who wants the power of Dios for himself [[spoiler: after he fell in despair and selfishness, abandoned the people whom he used to protect, and became the [[BigBad villain]] and the person behind poor Anthy's painful, cruel situation.]]
* Medaka from ''Manga/MedakaBox''. Numerous characters including her siblings remark on her being the pinnacle of perfection. Yet she sees herself as just another flawed being (which admittedly is true) though this may be through a desire to convince herself of that rather than anyone else.
** This gets played with when, due to her continuously escalating power set due to her AllYourPowersCombined ability, she begins to be more and more isolated from everyone else, and begins to deal with everything herself. Then her best friend and LoveInterest has to convince her that this is dumb and no one wants her to be some perfect inhuman helper because they all love her for her.
* [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-zagged]] in Creator/OsamuTezuka's ''Manga/BlackJack''. On the one hand, people often refer to Black Jack as 'the surgeon with the hands of God'; but on the other many of this series' stories revolve around how doctors ''can't'' fix everything, and that even the most brilliant surgeon in the world can occasionally lose patients to [[DeusAngstMachina arbitrary causes.]]

* A {{Downplayed}} example in ''WebAnimation/{{TOME}}''. Although nobody seriously thinks of Webmaster as a god, he is often referred to as one either proverbially or jokingly, which makes him deeply uncomfortable.

-->[[AC: I am like a glorious golden god]] [{{beat}}] [[AC:Except I am not.]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'' has [[spoiler: Jeff-Andrew]], who insists that he's not a god, [[spoiler: although he does mention that he probably ''made'' the gods that the cast knows of.]]
[[/folder]]

* Eris from ''LightNovel/CatPlanetCuties'' finds herself being worshipped by the cult The Underside of the Kitten's Paw (a group of people who just really adore cats), due to her real cat ears and tail. Her two commands as their "Divine Embodiment" are to stop worshipping her and to live their own lives.

* In ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'', Haruhi herself is theorized to be God and the creator of the universe by at least one of the espers she empowered. That's not the trope ([[LockedOutOfTheLoop she's completely unaware of her powers]]), that's the context. This trope comes up when another esper thinks a completely different person ([[spoiler:Kyon's old friend Sasaki]]) is God. Unlike Haruhi, this person is perfectly aware of how others see her but doesn't see herself as particularly divine. She's very easy-going though, so she doesn't make a fuss about it one way or another.

* Holo from ''LightNovel/SpiceAndWolf'' is a PhysicalGoddess in [[LittleBitBeastly "mostly"]] human form (her true form being that of a [[CanisMajor wolf the size of a bus]]). She keeps insisting that she's no god though as she dislikes the way she's treated by those who fear or worship her, and she would much prefer to be treated the same as anyone else.

* In ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'', LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya finds out that she is a RealityWarper with nigh limitless power, but she is [[RealityWarpingIsNotAToy horrified by the possibility of accidentally destroying all of reality with a careless thought]]. She authorizes Yuki and Kyon to act as a control to restrain what she can do. She later finds out that that's not enough, and willingly gives herself a [[NeuroVault memory block]] [[MemoryGambit to keep her from remembering what she's capable of]]. In effect, she gives up her godlike power and contents herself with limited [[MindOverMatter telekinesis]].

This is a character who is godlike, yet dislikes the comparison and firmly identifies themself as a mortal. They may be a godlike FlyingBrick a la Franchise/{{Superman}}, a RealityWarper like [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Doctor Manhattan]], a PhysicalGod like [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Tom Bombadil]], a SufficientlyAdvancedAlien like [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]], or someone who [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt somehow]] got the powers and duties of an actual god. The crux of their rationale is usually that they are still mortal, human, and terrestrial in enough ways that they don't want to make the claim. Maybe they still think in mortal terms about time and morality and aren't a TimeAbyss or AboveGoodAndEvil. Maybe they don't want the responsibility all that power entails. Maybe they worship a real god; proving they aren't one, or don't want to disrespect them. Then again, it may just be the thought of being [[StopWorshippingMe actively worshipped]] that's squicky to them. Or in some cases, they're just a normal person who people have become convinced has godlike powers because of a weird confluence of events.

* Downplayed in ''Anime/AngelBeats''; Tenshi/Angel says she's not an angel. [[spoiler:It's true, Kanade Tachibana is a human just like the protagonists.]]

** The Tom Baker era deals heavily with this trope, particularly early on. He loves being admired and adored, but absolutely refuses to be worshiped, despite this era starting the trend of the Doctor being famous amongst monsters (see Chedaki's horrified remarks to Styggron upon knowing who they're up against in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E4TheAndroidInvasion "The Android Invasion"]]). Several stories touch upon the idea that he's a MessianicArchetype or use similar religious symbolism, and yet his famous conflict about genocide in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks "Genesis of the Daleks"]] is based around the idea that he doesn't feel he has the right to permanently change the universe (unlike Davros, who claims he'd destroy every living thing because "that power would set me up above the gods"). When he discovers a CargoCult that does worship him, he's appropriately horrified and dedicates himself to educating a sceptical girl from the cult in how very ungodly he is. He does switch to using a console room that resembles a church with stained-glass windows, pews, and a font, but switches back once he's got some more of his god complex out of his system.

* Downplayed in ''Anime/AngelBeats''; Tenshi/Angel says she's not an angel. [[spoiler:It's true, Kanade Tachibana is a human just like protagonists.]]

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', Mr. 2 Bon Clay describes Emporio Ivankov as a miracle worker who's saved the lives of people who were at the brink of death and even whole countries. When they meet in person, Ivankov flat out denies being any sort of divine being, and that the lives he saved were just those who could force their bodies to recuperate thanks to his healing hormones.

* Similarly, Superman's cousin ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} has also been treated as a dvine being by the regular people. In the story "Hero Worship", she has to talk the faithful of a "Church of Supergirl" out of believing her to be a divine being.

* Franchise/GreenLantern Kyle Rayner dealt with this when he absorbed the power of the Green Lantern Corps and [[spoiler:his dead girlfriend Jade.]] He decided to return the power to a new power battery and restart the Corps rather than be all powerful.

* In ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'', [[spoiler:Kyril is secretly an EldritchAbomination, and he]] once notes that many refugees sought blessings from [[spoiler:him]]. Despite this, [[spoiler:he]] is discomforted of the notion of being godlike, being more concerned about how these people have their once peaceful lives destroyed due to the uprising in the capital.

* ''Fanfic/TheWandererOfTheNorth'': When Evergreen tells Nikóleva of her and the Gods' alike appearances, Nikóleva insists that she isn't. Earlier on from the previous chapter, Celestia (who used to be Nikoleva) feels that the fact that ponies see and worship her as any form of deity is blasphemous for her.

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/what-if-the-emperor-found-a-bunch-of-anime-goddesses-tts-x-anime-x-noblebright.881129/ What If The Emperor Found A Bunch Of Anime Goddesses]], a semi-serious ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'' fanfic: The Emperor Of Mankind is as stalwart as ever in his conviction that he is ''not'' a god, and wishes people would get that through their heads... except in this story, he genuinely ''is'' a god, or at least a demi-god, and is in such deep denial over that that he's been subconsciously keeping himself from properly [[AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascending to godhood]] for millenia. The Seven, and [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Madoka]] in particular, try to encourage [[GenderBender her]] to accept her role.

* In ''Film/TronLegacy'', while Kevin Flynn technically is a God, as the Creator of the Grid, indeed being venerated by many Programs and [=ISOs=], Flynn does not wish for any of this worship and devotion, instead content to act in the role as benevolent father-figure who wishes to help his creations.

** The Asgard, to less-advanced peoples, ''pretend'' to be gods to make it easier for them to understand fantastic technology, but are generally benevolent for all that, and when they believe someone has become open-minded enough to handle the truth, will reveal the truth to them. They don't ask to be worshiped or anything; it's simply a convenient explanation for the awesome things they do, like setting up a "hammer" which stops the Goa'uld from coming to a planet.

* In ''Series/BabylonFive'' the Vorlon are quite adamant they're not gods, no matter what certain races could mistake them for. Their stint at feigning divinity to help Minbari development and their charges' genocidal reaction when the Vorlon judged they could take the truth made them unwilling to take such roles.

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': The [[GodEmperor Emperor of mankind]] refused to identify as a god and tried to put a ban on worshipping him; despite this, many of his subjects [[UnwantedFalseFaith started a cult worshiping him]]. While it was just a fringe faith at first, it started to grow in popularity during the events that lead up to the Literature/HorusHeresy, until it was eventually officially adopted, and the church around it became one of the most powerful institutions within the Imperium. The Emperor, upon his "ascension" to the Golden Throne, [[SubvertedTrope may have accepted this role]], partly out of necessity and partly because [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve reality can be warped by lots of people believing in something]]. Although if one were to ask him today, [[AndIMustScream he would make no comments on the subject]]. More specifically, he tried to construct the Imperium on complete atheism, despite the fact that [[{{Naytheist}} he knew full well about Chaos]]. A more cynical take on this trope which Website/FourChan proposed is that while the Emperor has no problem accepting the adoration of trillions he specifically ban people praying to him. Ie, he enjoys the perks of godhood and not the responsibilities.

* The geth in ''Franchise/MassEffect'' worship Sovereign as a god, but Sovereign is kind of insulted by the comparison--he's disgusted by the geth, seeing them as nothing more than pawns [[spoiler: and a textbook example of what the Reapers were created to prevent]].

---> "Not your god. Not today."
* ''VideoGame/AdventRising'': Even though humans are ''worshiped'' as gods by some of the alien races ([[PsychicPowers for a darn good reason too]]), Gideon (MC) always denies it whenever he is called one. However, much later he comes to the realization what this image still entails some consequences. Also, one of the surviving humans jokes that he "[is]n't the only demigod around here" when she demonstrates her powers for the first time.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' and its ''Tribunal'' expansion feature the eponyous Tribunal, a trio of [[DeityOfHumanOrigin formerly mortal]] {{Physical God}}s who ascended to divinity by tapping into the still-beating heart of the aforementioned Lorkhan. Of them, Vivec, who serves as a SupportingLeader in the latter portion of the main game's main quest, actively conspires with the PlayerCharacter to end his divinity, which also cuts off the divinity of the BigBad who gained it in the same fashion. Come ''Tribunal'', [[spoiler:Almalexia, another member of the Tribunal, has murdered the third member, Sotha Sil, and plans to take out the player character and Vivec as well]].

* Played with in ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'', a work based on ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''. In the show, the Emperor is given a text to speech device in his Golden Throne, and it allows him to interact with the few people who are allowed in to see him. The Emperor [[BerserkButton still loathes religion]] and takes a StopWorshippingMe attitude, which includes starting to dissolve the theocratic church that runs things in the Imperium. However, as both Magnus and Kitten note, for all the times that the Emperor denies being a god, he sure does like acting like one, with all the imperious attitude and expectation of BlindObedience that entails. There have also been a number of occasions where the Emperor has done something of a VerbalBackspace when it seemed that he was about to refer to himself as a god, and he isn't shy about calling himself "godlike" at all.

* In ''WebComic/TowerOfGod'', the members of the FUG organisation regard the Slayers as "gods who will make their wishes come true," said wishes mainly involving overthrowing of the rulers of the Tower. Slayer nominee Jue Viole Grace's typical response when someone brings this up is to say he doesn't want to be anyone's god. He only took the job because FUG made him AnOfferYouCantRefuse.

--->'''Avatar Yangchen''': If you were an all-powerful spirit living on the top of some mountain.... you wouldn't have much in common with an ordinary person.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021'' episode "What If... Doctor Strange Had Lost His Heart Instead Of His Hands?", Doctor Strange's attempts to prevent Christine's death end in a RealityBreakingParadox. He become aware of the Watcher's presence and begs him to undo the damage. Uatu responds by rebuking him for his hubris:

* The ''ComicBook/{{Marvel 1602}}'' counterpart of Thor is quite adamant about not being a god, because [[spoiler:his human form, Donal, is the Grand Master of the Knights Templar]].
* Franchise/{{Superman}} has been the recipient of worship, and even the odd church or two set up in his name. He's been described as an angel on several occasions. This makes him very uncomfortable, though his discouragement has often only increased the faith of his followers. Batman's file on Superman in ''ComicBook/{{Justice}}'' in the supplementary materials states that Superman is a god, but thankfully doesn't think of himself as one. This is a common thread whenever Batman internally monologues about Superman, such as in the Public Enemies arc of ''ComicBook/SupermanBatman'', and the two are on good terms, Bruce describing Clark in terms that would match up alongside almost any god of myth and then contrasting it with Clark's humility. Meanwhile, ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' makes the comparison between Superman and a wrathful god, with the book's POV character being a small-town preacher.

* The [[GodEmperor Emperor of mankind]] from ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' has an interesting history with this trope. He refused to identify as a god and tried to put a ban on worshipping him; despite this, many of his subjects [[UnwantedFalseFaith started a cult worshiping him]]. While it was just a fringe faith at first, it started to grow in popularity during the events that lead up to the Literature/HorusHeresy, until it was eventually officially adopted, and the church around it became one of the most powerful institutions within the Imperium. The Emperor, upon his "ascension" to the Golden Throne, [[SubvertedTrope may have accepted this role]], partly out of necessity and partly because [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve reality can be warped by lots of people believing in something]]. Although if one were to ask him today, [[AndIMustScream he would make no comments on the subject]].
** More specifically, he tried to construct the Imperium on complete atheism, despite the fact that [[{{Naytheist}} he knew full well about Chaos]]. Of course, since Chaos [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly gets stronger with]] ''[[GodsNeedPrayerBadly direct]]'' [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly worship]] he had good reason. There's speculation that he didn't want the temptation of being the object of so much affection, though that didn't turn out to be the case for the Imperium.
** A more cynical take on this trope which Website/FourChan proposed is that while the Emperor has no problem accepting the adoration of trillions he specifically ban people praying to him. Ie, he enjoys the perks of godhood and not the responsibilities.
** Fortunately, it turns out faith--in, say, the GodEmperor--is a potent weapon against Chaos. Unfortunately, Chaos also gets stronger with suffering. And since the Imperium is almost institutionally dystopian as well as being at constant war with...''everyone'', Chaos has still gotten stronger.
** The underlying problem is that Chaos is made of ''emotion''- the four main gods are made of rage, desire, hope ([[HopeIsScary yep]]), and depending on the interpretation, despair/love - the fifth, a renegade god, is desire for ''justice''. The only way to truly destroy Chaos is to kill everything that can feel... [[OmnicidalManiac which is the Necrons' master plan]].

->''"Janey tells me she's afraid; she says I'm like a god now. I tell her I don't think there is a God. And if there is, I'm not Him."''
-->-- '''Doctor Manhattan''', ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''

** Of course, technically the Valar aren't gods either: which the non-evil ones would be ''very'' quick to tell you. The only ''true'' god in the setting is Eru Ilúvatar: creator of both the Valar and all mortal souls. The good Valar don't want to be worshipped: which they make extremely clear to the Númenoreans after the War of Wrath. Manwë even sends eagles to make sure the humans are worshipping the real god and not him, or any of the other Valar. Melkor, the BigBad, however ''does'' want to be worshipped. Which is how you know he's bad.

This is a character who is godlike, yet dislikes the comparison and firmly identifies themself as a mortal. They may be a godlike FlyingBrick a la Franchise/{{Superman}}, a RealityWarper like [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Doctor Manhattan]], a PhysicalGod like [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Tom Bombadil]], a SufficientlyAdvancedAlien like [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]], or someone who [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt somehow]] got the powers and duties of an actual god. The crux of their rationale is usually that they are still mortal, human, and terrestrial in enough ways that they don't want to make the claim. Maybe they still think in mortal terms about time and morality and aren't a TimeAbyss or AboveGoodAndEvil. Maybe they don't want the responsibility all that power entails. Maybe they worship a real god; proving they aren't one, or don't want to disrespect them. Then again, it may just be the thought of being [[StopWorshippingMe actively worshipped]] that's squicky to them.

** The First Doctor briefly had a companion named Katarina from ancient Troy, and despite his best efforts, he was never able to fully convince her that he was not a god before [[spoiler: she pulled a HeroicSacrifice, becoming the first companion to die in the series's history.]]

* ''Fanfic/WithThisRing'': Paul's connection to the orange light increasingly makes him like a minor deity; [[spoiler:he can consume souls and magic, transubstantiate, recover from physical death just by inhabiting a cloned body, and bond with the universal Embodiment of Avarice more or less at will]], but he doesn't think of himself as any kind of god, and worships the Greek pantheon. WordOfGod is that [[spoiler:"Avatar of the Ophidian" wouldn't be far from the truth.]]

* ''Film/{{Caligula}}'': Caligula's predecessor and uncle, Tiberius, firmly rejected the tradition of deifying deceased emperors despite being as mad as his nephew -- he did not consider himself a god, nor did he think that Caesar and Augstus became such beings.

Compare StopWorshippingMe, which is specifically about anyone who discourages being worshipped for any of a number of reasons. May or may not overlap with RefusalOfTheCall.

* The ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' franchise has the [[CloneJesus clone]] of the [[CrystalDragonJesus last Sankt Kaiser]], [[spoiler:Vivio Takamachi]], who is quite insistent about being a normal little girl despite her origins (or at least, as normal as a girl in a setting where EveryoneIsASuper could be). For their part, the [[SaintlyChurch Saint Church]] officially treats her as the descendant of their Christ figure and not the Christ figure herself, though there are those who don't see it that way.

* The Silver King, Adolf K. Weismann, in ''Anime/{{K}}'' never wanted to be the most powerful and only immortal King, and is uncomfortable with being revered as such. Several of the Kings have this to some extent, but he fits the most, as he is the only one that some people think of as a god.

* In ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'', Haruhi herself is theorized to be God and the creator of the universe by at least one of the espers she empowered. That's not the trope ([[LockedOutOfTheLoop she's completely unaware of her powers]]), that's the context. This trope comes up when another esper thinks a completely different person ([[spoiler:Kyon's old friend Sasaki]]) is God. Unlike Haruhi, this person is perfectly aware of how others see her but doesn't see herself as particularly divine. She's very easy-going though, so she doesn't really make a fuss about it one way or another.

* Franchise/{{Superman}} has been the recipient of worship, and even the odd church or two set up in his name. He's been described as an angel on a number of occasions. This makes him very uncomfortable, though his discouragement has often times only increased the faith of his followers. Batman's file on Superman in ''ComicBook/{{Justice}}'' in the supplementary materials states that Superman is a god, but thankfully doesn't think of himself as one. This is a common thread whenever Batman internally monologues about Superman, such as in the Public Enemies arc of ''ComicBook/SupermanBatman'', and the two are on good terms, Bruce describing Clark in terms that would match up alongside almost any god of myth and then contrasting it with Clark's humility. Meanwhile, ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' makes the comparison between Superman and a wrathful god, with the book's POV character being a small-town preacher.

* In one'' ComicBook/XMen'' annual, ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} acquires godlike power by touching the Macguffin of the story. Though he spends a moment DrunkWithPower, he quickly comes to the realization that he has no right to use that power on anyone, even with the "noblest" of motives/justifications, and gives it up by destroying the item. (See the quotes page.)

* Gorr the God-butcher from ''Comicbook/TheMightyThor'' is a very dark example. He started out as a poor mortal who hated gods because his world's gods were JerkassGods (though it's implied it's actually a case of HaveYouSeenMyGod). After acquiring All Black the Necrosword, an incredibly powerful divine blade of darkness, he became a PhysicalGod capable of wiping out entire pantheons by himself. Despite the fact that his possession of the sword essentially turned him into a god, he despises gods so much that being called one is his BerserkButton. Ironically, it's heavily implied that the reason his world's Gods stopped answering prayers and let the world fall into ruin was that they were massacred by the last holder of the Necrosword, whose corpse Gorr takes the Necrosword from and kills the badly wounded survivor, never realizing that he's simply restarting the cycle again.
* ''ComicBook/BlackMoonChronicles'': When Wismerhill asks Methraton if he is a god, Methraton vehemently denies it as he hates the actual gods. He's more of an archmage with his own religion devoted to him.

* In ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'', LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya finds out that she is a RealityWarper with nigh limitless power, but she is [[RealityWarpingIsNotAToy horrified by the possibility of accidentally destroying all of reality with a careless thought]]. She authorizes Yuki and Kyon to act as a control to restrain what she can do. She later finds out that that's not enough, and willingly gives herself a [[NeuroVault memory block]] [[MemoryGambit to keep her from remembering what she's actually capable of]]. In effect, she gives up her godlike power and contents herself with limited [[MindOverMatter telekinesis]].
* ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4353554/1/In-Denial-We-Trust In Denial We Trust]]'', a ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fanfic, shows what happens when a [[MemeticBadass really suspicious]] copper gets caught between his own cynicism, [[NayTheist the people he taught to be suspicious,]] and the Disc's [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve tendency to create new gods]] [[GodNeedsPrayerBadly if there's enough people believing,]] even if it's in the cover-up...

* ''Fanfic/TheWandererOfTheNorth'': When Evergreen tells Nikóleva of her and the Gods' alike appearances, Nikóleva insists that she isn't. In fact, earlier on from the previous chapter, Celestia (who used to be Nikoleva) feels that the fact that ponies see and worship her as any form of deity is blasphemous for her.

* In ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'', this is a defining character trait for Harry. As the son of Thor, he is literally a demigod and is constantly growing in power to the point of potentially being one of the most powerful gods of all (and even if plenty of others will have more raw power, he's got a wider range of abilities). However, even he is disturbed at how powerful he already is, and spends a long time in denial about just what his new situation means. Even once he comes to accept it, he's still uncomfortable with the thought of being worshiped. This is best shown during the climax of the first book's FinalBattle, when [[spoiler: [[EldritchAbomination Chthon]]]] attempts to pull a GrandTheftMe on him, offering him enough power to reshape reality to his whim. Harry responds by [[ShutUpHannibal telling him to stuff it]], and [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu banishing him from reality]].

* ''Fanfic/TheAssumptionOfApplejackOrAppletheosis'': Applejack, before being thrust into godhood, was a humble apple farmer. She's definitely not used to ponies (literally) worshipping the ground she walks on.

* In ''Film/TronLegacy'', while Kevin Flynn technically is a God, as the Creator of the Grid, indeed being venerated by many Programs and [=ISOs=], Flynn clearly does not wish for any of this worship and devotion, instead content to act in the role as benevolent father-figure who wishes to help his creations.

** Of course, technically the Valar aren't gods either: which the non-evil ones would be ''very'' quick to tell you. The only ''true'' god in the setting is Eru Ilúvatar: creator of both the Valar and all mortal souls. The good Valar don't want to be worshipped: which they make extremely clear to the Númenoreans after the War of Wrath. Manw&ediaresis; even sends eagles to make sure the humans are worshipping the real god and not him, or any of the other Valar. Melkor, the BigBad, however ''does'' want to be worshipped. Which is how you know he's bad.

* [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Lady of Pain]] from ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' has apparently limitless powers within the city of Sigil [[TheWorldTree (at the top of an infinite spire in the center of an infinite plane that is the core of the multiverse)]] and can even keep all the gods from entering it. She never actually interferes with the politics and the administration of the city and only seems to have two (unwritten) rules she enforces: 1. You do not threaten the existence of the city. 2. You do ''not''. '''Worship'''. '''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis The Lady. Of Pain.]]''''' People who violate these two rules either just disappear from the face of the world forever or their remains require magic to be identified.

** Its sequel ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'' plays with this. [[spoiler:Zanza's]] AlternateSelf [[spoiler:Klaus/the Architect]] likewise created all life on Alrest and is revered as such by those who believe he exists, but he himself seems to regard himself as only a man, albeit a man who has overseen life on an entire world for millennia. Furthermore, he has remained completely removed from the world since its creation rather than having active designs like [[spoiler:Zanza]] or [[spoiler:Meyneth]]. Notably he believes that he himself is a subject of divine retribution, viewing his broken state as punishment for his sin of misusing the Conduit (which he likewise considers to be of divine or near-divine origin).

** There seem to be two types of Gods in Homestuck. First, Sburb/Sgrub players, previously mortal, who have risen up to the God Tiers (they can be killed only if their death is either [[HeroicSacrifice righteous]] or [[KarmicDeath just]]). Second, the "Dark Gods" (aka Horrorterrors), [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] who live in the Furthest Ring, and also can be killed, though how this is accomplished is unknown. Doc Scratch is a First Guardian, which is neither of these but is nevertheless one of the most powerful beings in the comic. His master, Lord English, is even more powerful than him, and more powerful than Jack Noir as well (who had First Guardian powers plus a bit more); what English is is unknown. [[spoiler:He is a cherub named Caliborn, but how Caliborn gained such powers isn't entirely clear at this point in time, as when we've seen him as an adolescent, all he has is the god complex without the powers. Apparently, he gained his powers as a reward for completing Sburb through the most difficult route possible.]]

* After Jeannette's classmates learn of her RealityWarper powers in ''Literature/FunnyBusiness'', one of them asks her if she is God. She denies it. [[spoiler:Her reasoning is that she is too pathetic and self-loathing to be a deity.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'', Optimus is the last Prime, TheChosenOne of Primus himself. He's still the humble data clerk Orion Pax at heart. In "Alpha, Omega", Megatron claims that he and Optimus have ascended to godhood [[spoiler:since they both wield a Star Saber]]. Optimus retorts that he is merely a soldier and Megatron is merely delusional. [[spoiler:Even more ironic since Optimus is actually the {{Reincarnation}} of one of the original Thirteen Primes.]]

-->[[AC: What can the harvest hope for, if not for the care of the [[TitleDrop Reaper Man]]]]?

* A recurring thematic element in ''Webcomic/MobPsycho100'' is the protagonists' belief that being an Esper doesn't make you inherently superior to anyone else. Most of the antagonists have to have his ideal beaten into them, turning into better people.

* A recurring thematic element in ''Manga/MobPsycho100'' is the protagonists' belief that being an Esper doesn't make you inherently superior to anyone else. Most of the antagonists have to have his ideal beaten into them, turning into better people.

This is a character who is godlike, yet dislikes the comparison and firmly identifies themself as a mortal. They may be a godlike FlyingBrick a la Franchise/{{Superman}}, a RealityWarper like [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Doctor Manhattan]], a PhysicalGod like [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Tom Bombadil]], a [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens Sufficiently Advanced Alien]] like [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]], or someone who [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt somehow]] got the powers and duties of an actual god. The crux of their rationale is usually that they are still mortal, human, and terrestrial in enough ways that they don't want to make the claim. Maybe they still think in mortal terms about time and morality and aren't a TimeAbyss or AboveGoodAndEvil. Maybe they don't want the responsibility all that power entails. Maybe they worship a real god; proving they aren't one, or don't want to disrespect them. Then again, it may just be the thought of being [[StopWorshippingMe actively worshipped]] that's squicky to them.

* Downplayed in ''Manga/RosarioToVampire''. Tsukune Aono has been beaten to a pulp multiple times, injected with enough vampire blood to make Alucard cry, [[spoiler: chained with a holy lock post-ghouldom]], stabbed in the vitals three times, trained by Inner Moka until even ''Koko'' admits his kata is getting good, [[spoiler: ''partially vampirized'', infused with InstantRunes, and sent to attack Fairy Tale]]. Physical feats include shielding his friends from monstrel appendages of various sizes (ranging from elastic human to ''draconian''), holding back an Inner-Moka doppelganger with his bare hands, grabbing a ''phoenix'' by the beak, and [[spoiler:ordering a yoko "Out of my way, Kuyo. [[BadassBoast Or I'll slay you where you stand.]]"]] And yet he refuses to call himself a vampire. He is ''human'', and he will ''always acknowledge himself as human''. [[spoiler:Ultimately subverted when his roller-coaster ride ends with him at the pinnacle of monsterhood: a ''[[OurVampiresAreDifferent/AnimeAndManga shinso]]''. Thankfully, his experience (both his own and those of his friends and the {{Reasonable Authority Figure}}s in the school) tempers his power and gives him something important: perspective. He joins the school's cause to bridge the human[=/=]monster divide.]]

* Several times in ''Literature/TheBible'':
** In the ''Literature/ActsOfTheApostles'', Paul and Barnabas perform a miracle in a Greek city, which backfires when the locals conclude that they are incarnations of [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Zeus and Hermes]] and prepare to offer sacrifices to them. The apostles protest "StopWorshippingMe!," but it's a near thing.
** Also in Acts, Cornelius meets Peter and bows down at his feet to worship him, but Peter immediately responds, "Stand up; I'm just a man!"
** In ''Literature/TheBookOfRevelation'', the author falls on his knees at the sight of an angelic being, believing him to be God. The angel replies, "Don't do that. I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!" That doesn't stop John from making the same mistake in a later chapter, with the same response, although with a different angelic being.

** Also in Acts, Herod Agrippa was struck down and eaten by maggots for [[AGodAmI not trying to tell his people to stop worship him]].
* Rastafarian deity Emperor Haile Selassie I refused to claim himself as a Messianic figure, which Rastas saw as extremely humble and interpreted it as proof of his divinity. Emperor Selassie was himself [[UsefulNotes/OrthodoxChristianity Orthodox Christian]].

* Death from ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' is arguably the closest thing the Disc has to a benevolent deity (though Om isn't too bad after his CharacterDevelopment in ''Literature/SmallGods'', but he has never sought worship or believed himself to be above mortals. In ''Literature/ReaperMan'', his superiors sack him and force him to live as a mortal because they believe he is growing too close to mortals. Death eventually grows to like living as "Bill Door." He ultimately fights to reclaim his title when he sees that his replacement New Death ''does'' believe, if not that [[AGodAmI he is a god]], at least that he rules over mortals, and he wears a ''crown''. Death is enraged. Afterwards, he argues that he ''needs'' to feel compassion for mortals because:

* Invoked several times with angels in Literature/TheBible—humans tend to jump to conclusions pretty quickly when they see shining transcendent beings materialize in front of them, and loyal angels are quick to correct their misconceptions that there is only one God, and they are not it.

* Arthur Penhaligon from ''Literature/KeysToTheKingdom'' keeps insisting he's ''not'' planning on acting as the Heir to the Architect (that 'verse's God) but no one believes him, and he keeps having to conquer more and more of The House in self-defense.
** Eventually [[spoiler: after the Keys' magic contamination continues to grow, his Denizen side]] urges him to act as superior as he is (he ''[[TheChosenOne is]]'' the Heir) over people. He tries to rein it in as best he can, with mixed success, getting worse as time goes on. [[spoiler: Finally at the end of book 7, when he actually ''becomes the new god'', he is both acknowledging his godhood and not due to his creating a new Old One, who is himself as a mortal ([[BlatantLies or so he wants himself to believe]]), but without asthma.]]

* ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'': When Elven Prince Finrod met the Race of Men they mistook him for one of the [[CouncilOfAngels Valar]] (they had met elves earlier, but they were not like the Light Elves). Finrod disillusioned them as soon as he was capable of speaking to them, explaining that he was not a Vala but an elf, the Valar lived beyond the Western Ocean, and [[GodOfEvil the only (ex)-Vala]] in the vicinity was ''trouble''. Doesn't stop him from trying to do for Men what the Valar did for elves: namely provide a safe place for them to develop a society as insulated from evil influences as possible. It kind of works too.

[[folder:Folklore]]
* The legend of King Canute and the Waves qualifies, as long as you don't forget the [[AnAesop Aesop]] at the end. Canute was a Norse king with a seat in England in the 10th century. The story goes that he had his throne brought to the seashore while the tide was out. He sat and [[AGodAmI commanded the tide]] not to insult its sovereign by flowing in and getting his feet wet. This command, naturally, was ignored, and Canute's name is nowadays used proverbially to indicate that someone is failing to grasp that their authority has limits. ''However'', the original story continues. With his feet wet, Canute retreated above the surf and proclaimed to his assembled courtiers that "kings" have no real power, which belongs only to God, and he never wore his crown again.
[[/folder]]

* ''Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian'' had the titular Brian mistaken to be true Messiah, to which his "followers" are oblivious.
-->'''Brian:''' (''to crowd following him'') Now fuck off!!!\\
'''Person:''' (''solemnly'') How shall we fuck off, O Lord?
* In ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' [=C3PO=] at first objects to the Ewoks worshiping him or pretending he's a god, as doing so does not fit his programming. (Luke convinces him to fib a little, and after he uses some Force powers to emulate divine might, they're able to peacefully align themselves with the tribe.)